This reimagining of the famous franchise takes Lara back to when she was 21, full of ambition and drive, and on her first big expedition to find the lost Japanese kingdom of Yamatai. Rhianna worked with Crystal Dynamics as Lead Writer for Tomb Raider, helping to build the narrative from a synopsis to a full game.
Rhianna’s role included creating the story treatment, world building, fleshing out the character bios and relationship webs, casting prep, performance feedback and writing the full cinematic script. Alongside that, Rhianna was an active figure in the game’s marketing campaign and was interviewed by many notable news and entertainment outlets, including: CNN, the LA Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Metro, The independent, Penny Arcade, Digital Trends, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, the Huffington Post, Wired, The Escapist, Polygon, IGN and Eurogamer. The game was shortlisted for the WGGB award for videogames narrative.
‘Rhianna Pratchett and the writing team have created a believable, relatable protagonist without resorting to the kind of disempowerment certain discussions suggested they would. In fact, the handing of Lara as a character, as well as that of the other survivors, is masterful.’ The Telegraph
‘The interplay between Lara and her crewmates further cements her place as a laudable female protagonist. Not only does the game pass the Bechdel Test with flying colours, but it does so with a multiracial cast. Her friends respect her, but they also question her for they, too, are human. When they doubt her, it is not for her gender., but for her inexperience. No one hits on her, or comments on her appearance. When they admire her, they speak of her instincts and intellect. They are the final brick in the old Lara’s tomb.’ The Mary Sue
‘Lara is a great lead. Emotional, nuanced voice acting and stellar animation for the character help make her believable… Few games have managed such a likeable and relatable protagonist, scaling up from vulnerable ingénue to hardened survivalist.’ Game Informer